Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Oncology Support Program topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Survivors and volunteers tell Ulster County legislature to press WMC Health to restore oncology support program
Summary
During public comment, survivors and volunteers described the August closure of a long-running oncology support program and urged transparency from WMC Health Alliance about funding and program plans; speakers estimated thousands of program hours were lost and asked the county to support full restoration.
KINGSTON, N.Y. — Several survivors, volunteers and family members addressed the Ulster County Legislature on April 21 to press WMC Health Alliance and county leaders for clarity and action after the abrupt closure of a longtime oncology support program in August.
Marie Biker, who said she grew up connected to the Bruner (Ruiner) Cancer Support House volunteer community, asked for transparency about anticipated budgets and WMC Health’s planned investment for a proposed new space in the county’s medical village. "We ask for transparency," Biker said, noting stakeholders had only recently been allowed to meet with an architect.
Jennifer O'Donnell, who identified herself as the daughter of the program’s founder, said the program’s sudden closure cost the community "approximately 2,000 hours of program" over eight months and urged WMC Health to "honor the intent of the founder" by restoring the program’s services, not merely preserving a building footprint.
Tara Ryan, a cancer patient who said she was an early beneficiary of the support program and later a donor and facilitator, described the program as life-changing and said the planned medical-village space risked being treated as a business office rather than a patient-centered healing environment. "The oncology support program saved me," Ryan said.
Speakers asked county leaders to use their contacts and influence to ensure the program is rebuilt as a living, service-oriented resource rather than primarily a real-estate development. The legislature did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting; speakers asked for additional meetings, transparency on budgets and inclusion of former program volunteers in planning.
What to watch: county staff and WMC Health Alliance responses to requests for program details and budgets; any future requests for county action or funding.
Sources: Ulster County Legislature meeting transcript, April 21, 2026. Quotes, estimates and requests taken from public-comment remarks.
